125 Years and Beyond

25/11/2025

 

From the Circular 311 of Sr Susan Flood osu - Prioress General

 

We are celebrating a milestone – 125 years of the life of the Roman Union. This moment of celebration takes on a particular significance as it coincides so closely with our physical move out of the property at Via Nomentana 236, the place which has housed the Roman Union for 93 of these 125 years. We are living through a particularly graced moment together. We are standing on the threshold between the past we have known and to which we are securely anchored, and the future which presents itself as a hazy horizon!

Any threshold moment is a time for gratitude. It is also a time for looking forward with hope and a sense of possibility. In many ways, a time like this can also prompt us to think about our identity.

We are very aware of some of the strong anchors of our identity. Our roots are in the Company of St Ursula, founded by St Angela Merici, and just as her daughters throughout the centuries have done, we continue to give life to her particular gift to the world, her charism, as we respond to the needs of our time.

Our call as Ursulines, as companions of Angela, is even more deeply rooted in our Baptismal call. At our core we are followers of Jesus, Gospel women, committed to bringing the Good News of Resurrection life and hope to all those we encounter.

In addition, as Ursulines of the Roman Union over the years we have built a strong sense of our unity in diversity. We are committed to respecting, even protecting, the differences between us, while also being convinced that there is something deeper which we share and which unites us.

 

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iStock.com/Aluna1

There is a saying in English : ‘A ship in a harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for’. A ship at anchor in a harbour is protected from all but the most violent storms. However, a ship which remains only at anchor will soon rust and rot, and be no longer fit for purpose. When a ship sails towards the horizon, it pulls up its anchors, and takes them with it to a new harbour.

Ships feature in the stories of our Ursuline predecessors. Angela’s voyage by boat to the Holy Land was fraught with risk. If we understand the legend correctly, we see that Ursula and her companions were led in their boat voyage along the Rhine into a place they did not plan or expect. Marie of the Incarnation’s extraordinarily generous response to God’s invitation to her to take the Gospel to the New World depended on her readiness to undertake a very risky sea voyage. Many of our provinces were established by sisters who took long and arduous sea voyages to unknown lands. None of these women relied on the safety of a ship at anchor!

Jesus and his disciples faced the risks of the Sea of Galilee, known for the unpredictable storms which developed unexpectedly (Mark 4: 35 – 41). Jesus sleeps through the storm; the disciples panic. Perhaps Jesus’s understanding that the storm would pass allowed him to rest. Perhaps his recognition of the fact that this storm was just one of the risks of such a journey allowed him to be peaceful. His admonition of the disciples ‘Why are you afraid … where is your faith?’ perhaps indicates that Jesus was so confident of God’s presence and power that he could face the risks calmly and realistically; he knew that the presence of God would sustain them in all moments of the journey. Jesus did not deny the danger of the storm; he was able to manage the situation calmly, sure that the external forces would not overwhelm him or his companions.

 

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As we look toward the horizons ahead of us it is tempting to hold back unsure of the decisions that need to be to made, unready for the ‘storms’ that we will face that might test our faith, unprepared for the risks which might overwhelm us. Or we can set out, because we must, holding firm to our faith that the One who first called us continues to do so, anew, every day. Like Jesus in the threatened boat, like Angela without sight on her journey, and like the first members of the Roman Union, we hold firm to our faith that the One who calls us never abandons us. And as we take a course that will be at times uncertain and through rough waters, we will discover that the horizons become less hazy.

It is not a coincidence that our two special feasts – Angela’s Foundation of the Company in 1535 and Roman Union Day, fall in the same week. This reminds us of both the heritage we have received, and the task we have to continue to create an Institute that is strongly anchored, yet flexible, life-giving and responsive to the changing times.